Kenyel Brown

Kenyel William Brown (July 3, 1979 – February 28, 2020)[1][2] was an American criminal and prime suspect in a series of murders which occurred in three cities in Wayne County, Michigan between December 7, 2019 and February 22, 2020.[3] On February 24, his whereabouts were discovered, but during the arrest attempt, Kenyel shot himself in the head.[4] He survived his injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he died four days later due to complications, without regaining consciousness. Although he was never charged with murder as a result of his death, the media coined the nickname The Metro Detroit Serial Killer for Brown, since most of the killings took place in the Detroit metropolitan area.[5][6] The killings caused a stir both in the city and the entire state after it was found that Brown, a dangerous recidivist, was recruited by law enforcement agencies and worked as a police informant.

Kenyel Brown
Born
Kenyel William Brown

(1979-07-03)July 3, 1979
River Rouge, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 2020(2020-02-28) (aged 40)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by firearm
Other names"Metro Detroit Serial Killer"
Conviction(s)Multiple, none for murder
Criminal penaltyN/A
Details
Victims6 (not confirmed, died before trial)
Span of crimes
2019–2020
CountryUnited States
State(s)Michigan
Date apprehended
Committed suicide before apprehension

Biography

Kenyel William Brown was born on July 3, 1979 into a large family with several brothers and sisters. He spent his childhood and youth in the city of River Rouge, where he attended the local River Rouge High School. In his school years, Brown, who was physically capable and athletically gifted, became a successful basketball player. Regardless of his potential, he began using narcotic substances in his teens and developed a drug addiction, which caused a drastic change in his personality. He began suffering from poverty, and began leading a criminal lifestyle from an early age.[7] Between 1997 and 2019, Brown was arrested and imprisoned several times.[8]

Criminal career

In August 1997, Kenyel Brown was arrested on charges of attacking a person with a weapon. He was convicted and given a year of imprisonment, which he served at the Wayne County Prison. He was released in 1998, but rearrested the following March for illegal carrying of weapons and resisting arrest. He plead guilty, was conditionally sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment, but in October 1999 was arrested yet again for the illegal possession of a taser and attempting to sell it. After this arrest, he began to cooperate with investigators in a plea agreement, agreeing to plead guilty in exchange for testifying against other inmates, so that the charges against him would be dropped and he could be released. In September 2000, Kenyel was arrested for drug possession and attempting to sell them, but was released yet again after he provided some information on crimes committed in the county. In February 2001, Brown became the cause of an accident during which one person died and another was seriously injured. He tried to flee the crime scene, but was arrested soon after and charged with second-degree murder, resisting arrest, intentionally inflicting moderate injury resulting in death, driving without a license and illegal weapons possession. He was convicted and received 10 years' imprisonment, but was paroled in 2010.[9]

In June 2014, Kenyel was arrested in Detroit for illegal possession of weapons. During his detention, he called himself in his dead brother's name and stated that he was suffering from a mental disorder. In March 2015, Brown was recruited by agents of the Bureau for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, working as an informant for five consecutive years. Based on the provisions of the Armed Career Criminal Act, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, but in June 2015, the Supreme Court recognized some of the law's provisions as unconstitutional, due to which Brown plead guilty and received 21 years' imprisonment, with a trial period of two years. In February 2017, after serving 14 months in prison, he was released, but was rearrested for parole violation in May of that year and returned to prison. Thanks to intervention from the federal agency, however, he was released in July. Over the following years, Kenyel repeatedly violated parole conditions, but each time avoided criminal liability due to his position as an FBI informant. In July 2018, he was arrested for drunk driving in Lincoln Park, later testing positive during a drug test. In January 2019, he was once again arrested for drug intoxication, after which he was ordered to attend a narcologist regularly by the court. He missed four scheduled sessions, after which an arrest warrant was issued on February 22, 2019. Brown was arrested a month later and charged with violating his parole. In May, he was prescribed compulsory treatment for drug addiction, after which he transferred to a drug treatment clinic in Madison Heights, where he spent 21 days and was released on June 12. Two weeks later, he was arrested in Hazel Park for drunk driving, but quickly released on October 29, again as a result of intervention from federal agents.[10][11]

Murder series

The murders began on December 7, 2019, when Brown shot 31-year-old Lauren Hattington in River Rouge.[12] On January 30, 2020, Brown visited some friends from his youth, 48-year-old Dorian Patterson and his brother Gerald, with whom he drank alcohol. After Gerald left the house and went to work, 52-year-old Kimberly Green and 44-year-old Clifton Smith came by the house. Late in the evening, a quarrel occurred between the pair and Brown, who proceeded to shoot Green and Patterson, as well as non-lethally wounding Smith, who managed to leave the crime scene and report the incident to the police. Based on his testimony and that of Gerald Patterson, Kenyel Brown was put on the wanted list.[13][14][15]

On February 18, Brown shot and killed 49-year-old Garcius Woodyard in Highland Park while trying to rob him.[16] Two days later, 41-year-old Amir Thaxton was shot dead inside of his clothing store in Detroit, with his money, valuables, and Caravan stolen after. Thaxton was familiar with Kenyel. On the day of the murder, he was recorded visiting him on video surveillance, as well as his car, and on this basis, became a suspect in his murder.[17] Two days after, Brown shot dead 36-year-old Eugene Jennings[18] while trying to steal a car. According to the investigators, he was his last known victim.

Death

On February 24, 2020, Brown was seen visiting an adult bookstore in Oak Park.[19] He was identified by two employees who called the police. Brown was unable to escape in time, as the police soon cordoned off several blocks and began a search operation to detain him. Brown attempted to sneak away by moving through houses, but was spotted by tenants, after which he was surrounded by law enforcement officers in a backyard. While trying to detain him, Brown attempted suicide by shooting himself in the head. He remained alive for another four days, but due to complications, he died four days later on February 28.[20][21]

See also

References
  1. "Kenyel Brown Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information". Legacy.com. March 6, 2020.
  2. "Crime spree murder suspect Kenyel Brown dies". February 28, 2020.
  3. "Killing spree suspect Kenyel Brown was a federal informant, Chief Craig says". WXYZ. 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  4. Dickson, George Hunter and James David. "Multiple murder suspect Kenyel Brown shoots himself after police chase". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  5. "Metro Detroit serial murder suspect Kenyel Brown in 'critical condition' after shooting himself". February 24, 2020.
  6. "Multiple federal, local agencies hunt for Metro Detroit serial murder suspect Kenyel Brown". February 23, 2020.
  7. "Six had to die to 'get a couple drug dealers?'". March 9, 2020.
  8. "Police: Suspect in multiple Detroit-area slayings has died". February 29, 2020.
  9. "Kenyel Brown, suspect in 6 murders, was federal informant who violated probation". February 26, 2020.
  10. "Killing spree suspect was informant freed by feds". February 25, 2020.
  11. "Chief Craig details Kenyel Brown's history as federal informant at news conference". February 26, 2020.
  12. "Woman gunned down carrying in groceries, man shot dead within days of each other in River Rouge". December 10, 2019.
  13. "Vigil held for two people killed in River Rouge". February 2, 2020.
  14. "Six had to die to 'get a couple drug dealers?'". March 8, 2020.
  15. "Family gathers for vigil in River Rouge as police hunt for suspected killer". February 6, 2020.
  16. "Metro Detroit family wants answers after father of 3 killed by criminal on the run, police say". February 22, 2020.
  17. "River Rouge man already facing murder charges now wanted for the deadly shooting of graphic artist". February 22, 2020.
  18. "Vigil held for Eugene Jennings, murder victim of suspected killer Kenyel Brown". WXYZ. 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  19. Baldas, Tresa (2020-03-01). "Kenyel Brown, suspected of 6 Detroit-area killings, dies after chase". USA Today.
  20. ""Sounded like pop pop pop," neighbor describes wild scene leading up to Kenyel Brown arrest". February 25, 2020.
  21. "'Man was a murderer': Tip from worker at bookstore leads to capture of suspected Metro Detroit serial killer". February 25, 2020.
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